Springfield police officers cast a line to community kids

Sunday

Jun 3, 2018 at 6:14 PMJun 5, 2018 at 7:52 AM

After almost two hours of patiently casting his fishing rod into the pond of Southwind Park with no luck, Keshawn Woodside, 6, got on a roll.

Within 10 minutes, he caught three fish. Each time, he would triumphantly show his catch to Springfield Police Officer Lindzee Edwards, who cheered him on and then carefully unhooked the wriggling fish to throw back into the pond.

Sunday was the first time Woodside had fished. He was one of more than 110 kids who came to the Springfield Police Department's third annual Cops and Bobbers Fishing Clinic, a free event where kids 13 and younger learn how to fish from police officers.

The turnout Sunday was bigger than any previous Cops and Bobbers, according to Officer Mike Badger. About 20 police officers, several of whom were part of the neighborhood police officer unit, volunteered.

"I think word got around that people had a good time last year," Badger said.

Though signup started at 9 a.m., a line had gathered outside of Erin's Pavilion at 8:45 a.m., according to Keshawn's mother, Jean Woodside. Her two younger daughters, 13-year-old Carolyn and 10-year-old Amiah, kept an eye on her grandson, Kai, who was almost 3 and insisted on touching each of Keshawn's fish before they were released. Because of the clinic, Keshawn knew to tell Kai to back up before casting his rod, a safety technique Kai was not fond of doing.

Jean and her adult daughter Alexis Woodside brought their children not only because it was "free and fun" but also because the event provided a venue for their kids to interact positively with Springfield police officers. When they first arrived at the park, Kai asked where the police officers were. Alexis explained the people in navy blue T-shirts were police officers even when not in uniform.

"At such a young age, it's a chance to see police officers as positive influence," Alexis Woodside said. "Even Keshawn, he's just learning about police officers. It's good to know they are there for him."

Though hosted by the police, the event was a community effort, Badger said. More than 70 fishing rods were borrowed from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Springfield Park District. Officers also brought their own fishing gear.

Bucket loads of bait were donated by Big Red's Bait Shop. Though kids couldn't take the fish home with them, each received a gift bag with a Cops and Bobbers T-shirt and a envelope with donated coupons from Chick-fil-A, Sonic and Wendy's. Prairie Farms and Mel-O-Cream came with juice and doughnuts, respectively.

Kids had the chance to win two rods and reels, two tackle boxes and a cane pole donated by Scheels.

For Badger, the benefits of the event were two-fold. The fishing clinic exposes kids to a new activity outdoors, away from sedentary video games.

"(The event) starts relationships (with police officers) at an early age, and it nurtures and grows as they grow," Badger added.

While being interviewed, a young boy Badger didn't know hugged him and then walked away to hug other police officers before heading home.

"Kind of like that," Badger said, chuckling.

Officer Tami Russell hosted the initial Cops and Bobbers event and said Sunday that each year, she sees children from the previous year who she befriended.

"You kind of get groupies," she joked.

When she was a neighborhood police officer, she was looking for a way to "humanize the badge." That's when she found Cops and Bobbers, a national program that she adapted for Springfield.

"We want (kids) to feel relaxed and see they can approach us for whatever problem, not just an emergency," Russell said.

Mitchell Schultz, 7, of Chatham, felt right at home with the officers. He had a "special agent" badge tucked into his waistband. Instead of fishing, he spent most of the day walking around and telling police officers they were getting raises.

"You get a raise!" Schultz said to Springfield Police Chief Kenny Winslow.

From the front seat of a police golf cart loaded up with fishing rods, Schultz and his friend Makena Harbauer, 7, pretended to be police chiefs. Harbauer's younger brother, Greydon, 5, was only allowed to be a detective. They pretended to catch "the bad guys" and told passersby to "surrender."

Despite being the grandson of a fire department official, Schultz said he wanted to be a police officer because "they help the world."

Standing on a dock next to Keshawn and Kai, Edwards said Cops and Bobbers, her favorite event, provided a casual setting for kids to see officers were "real people" who have lives and family outside of their job. She wore shorts and a T-shirt and held a cup of bait. Her 8-year-old son, Graham, stood next to her and slurped a lime green snow cone that had melted down to soup.

She hoped meeting new kids and fishing with them that day would positively affect future interactions when she was in uniform.

"When we go to work, it's going to make a difference," Edwards, a patrol officer, said.

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